Book of the Week: The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

Aesop’s ageless fable The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse is retold and illustrated in these pages by Helen Ward. Her rich watercolors are lush and light, and each mouse’s home teems with life and detail. And in an unexpected and wonderful twist, the city mouse’s home is bustling and busy with the bright lights of Christmas time.

When the city mouse visits the country, he tells his cousin of all the wonders of the city. But look closely! The amazing sights and sounds of the city cause our young country mouse to ignore the luminescent looming moon and the starlight in the fields. The city mouse tells of exotic foods and sumptuous surroundings – all while the two are dining on plump berries and shaded under the bark of a loving tree. As the reader, you’ll feel the hints of the tale and reminders of finding your own contentment and satisfaction. But truly, the city mouse’s home is sparkling and special, too, and just might rally up some holiday cheer in little mice everywhere.

P.S. – Be sure to flip all the way to the end. The ultimate illustration is a moldy wheel of cheese providing a roly-poly city mouse a place of refuge. Never in my life have I seen such a stunning rendering of smelly old cheese!

I own a number of Helen Ward’s books, all of which, just like The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, are beautiful. Her artwork is always classic, yet whimsy, and the text is just perfect! The Rooster and the Fox is probably my favorite title.

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My name is Gabrielle Blair. I'm a designer and mother of six. After 2 1/2 years in France, we just bought a home in Oakland, California. We call it The Treehouse. I post on where design and motherhood intersect.

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